Fullmetal Mermaid
by Lord Nebula
Summary: Prince Edward longs for life on the surface. What he didn't expect was to fall for a human. Yaoi. Loosely based on The Little Mermaid. Rated T for now, but it might change.
1. Chapter 1

Fullmetal Mermaid

Let me first start by saying that I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or The Little Mermaid. This _is_ **loosely** based on The Little Mermaid. When I say loosely, I mean I changed things to incorporate Fullmetal Alchemist aspects and to attempt to keep the important characters from the anime/manga in the fiction's plot. There is **yaoi** in this story. Boy love, boyxboy, whatever you call it… There is yaoi in this story.

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><p>It was the morning of the annual Mermaid Festival and Prince Edward was going through his usual teen-mermaid angst. Prince Alphonse was trying <em>everything<em> to get his older brother's mood to change. Alphonse knew that if Edward's mood didn't change, he'd wind up ruining the festivities like had had the year before.

"I already told you Al, I'm not happy. I'm not going to be happy. I don't want to see that Bastard's face. "Edward announced for the fifth time that morning."He's always making fun of my height!" Edward proceeded to click his tongue and roll away from his brother. As much as he loved Al, Ed wasn't entertained by his antics.

"But Brother!" Al protested, "Prince Roy is your fiancé! You're going to be marrying him!" Al immediately slapped his hand over his own mouth. Ed was going to get even more upset thanks to his big mouth.

"Don't tell me what to do! I'm not marrying that Bastard!" Ed fumed. They had been engaged against his will and he protested the engagement every time it came up. Edward turned to face his younger brother. "I..." Edward started but quickly shut his mouth.

"You what, Brother?" Al questioned, hoping to get Ed to continue.

"I want...Never mind it, Al! It's ridiculous!" Ed laughed awkwardly the coughed and returned to facing away from Al. He always went to this area of the sea when he wanted to get away from the palace. He enjoyed lounging on the flat slab of rock that overlooked a deep-sea trench.

"You aren't getting out of this that easily, Brother. Now tell me what's on your mind!" Al protested. Ed never wanted to share his thoughts with anyone.

Ed let out a deep sigh. It was a pretty heavy thought. He didn't want Al to overreact. Or worse, tell King Hohenheim, their father. That was the last thing he needed!

Al looked at his older brother expectantly. _Please tell me, brother. I want to know!_ Al thought. It was a matter of just waiting now and hoping Ed would crack and spill whatever conflict was going on inside his head. Al knew Ed was stubborn, but he had enough patience to last against his older brother.

Ed felt Alphonse's gray eyes burning holes into his back. _So he's going to play the waiting game, huh?_ Ed silently mused. _Well two can play that game_. With a smirk Edward continued to stare across the trench, and then switched his gaze to the surface above him.

_The sun always seems so much brighter. And the people so much happier. They walk around on legs in the sun all day; laughing and joking and playing and working. That's what I really want. I want to live above the surface on land. No one would ever understand that, though. Not even Al... And especially not Father!_ Edward sighed in defeat. "Let's get back to the palace, Al. We need to get ready for the festival."

Al was shocked for a brief moment. Ed wanted to go back? "O-okay, Brother!" he replied awkwardly. Ed got off the slab of stone and swam towards their home and Al promptly followed.

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><p>Upon seeing his sons return, King Hohenheim shook his head in disapproval. "Are you ever going to learn to be civil, Edward?" he asked. Edward just bowed his head and didn't reply. Hohenheim took this as a sign to continue. "You're way too old to keep running away. You have a duty to your family and your country!"<p>

Edward bit his lip and allowed himself to be preached to. He had heard this speech before, memorized it, in fact. That didn't change his mind, though. He would run away again and again if it meant his father would _finally_ hear him out. He just wanted to explain his opinion for once in his life. He felt like his life was never going to really be his own.

Al felt bad as he listened to their father scold Ed. Edward wasn't bad, he just wanted to be in control. Their father just didn't understand Edward as well as their mother had. The boys had been devastated when she had died trying to save a pod of dolphins from a fishing boat.

Ever since then, Hohenheim had hated humans. They were dangerous poachers and not to be trusted. Yet Edward loved humans and longed to be with them. Alphonse didn't know this, though, and believed that their father was trying to prevent what had happened to their mother from happening to Edward.

Hohenheim finished scolding his son and turned away from the boys. "Prince Roy will be here soon, Edward. Don't keep him waiting." he added before swimming away to check on the final preparations for the festival.

Edward ground his teeth together but remained silent. _This day is just going to get better and better, isn't it?_ he thought sarcastically.

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><p>Edward and Alphonse swam to where Prince Roy would be arriving. Alphonse could practically feel the negative energy flowing from his older brother.<p>

Soon, Roy's water chariot came to a stop in front of the brothers. Prince Roy swam out through the door and was followed by his personal assistant, Riza. "Oh, hello, Prince Alphonse." Roy greeted the younger boy. "Have you seen my shrimp-like bride-to-be?" he looked around on the ground below them for dramatic effect.

Alphonse laughed nervously and Edward fumed before snapping. "I'M RIGHT HERE YOU BASTARD! AND I GREW THREE INCHES SINCE YOU LAST SAW ME, GODDAMNIT!"

Roy laughed. "Oh, sorry, Edward~ I didn't see you there~!" Roy replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

This just caused Edward to grow angrier. Alphonse desperately tried to pacify his older brother to prevent him from making a scene. Edward took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He definitely didn't want to spend the rest of his life with Roy. Not now, not ever. The older princes continued to argue and Edward looked like he wanted to rip Roy apart.

Alphonse quickly interjected his opinion in an attempt to change the subject. "Let's all go see how the setup for the festival is going!"

Roy and Ed stopped bickering to look at Alphonse. "Good idea, Prince Alphonse." came Riza's reply. "Isn't that a good idea, my lord?" she calmly asked, more like demanded, Roy. He nodded in agreement.

The four mermaids quietly made their way to the festival grounds. Edward was indifferent towards the entire thing. He didn't want to be there and could care less what it looked like. Roy whistled at the sight. "It's certainly bigger than last year's festival!" he commented. Riza nodded in agreement. Al was grateful for the change in mood.

Roy seemed completely fine about the arranged marriage when he found out about it. Ed protested and caused a scene upon finding out. Roy smiled and made a comment in jest. Something along the lines of "We'll be together forever, sweetheart~!" That had set Edward off into another rant. Roy would never admit that the short blonde's words actually hurt him. He really was quite fond on the young prince. But he had too much of a swollen ego to even admit out loud to liking Edward.

Edward turned his gaze towards the surface of the water once again. He wondered if humans had arranged marriages. He doubted that such wonderful creatures could have such a thing. They were far too civilized for arranging marriages, he decided. Edward also decided that tonight during the festival, he'd sneak away and take a peek at the surface at night. If he was lucky, there'd be a boat nearby and he could observe some humans up close.

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><p>I would appreciate a little feedback on this. Criticize me. Edit things. Offer to be my beta. Not only is this my first time writing Fullmetal Alchemist fiction, this is my first time using someone else's characters to write yaoi. I'm actually in the process of writing a novel that involves two boys falling in love, so I'm not new to that.<p>

I'm sorry if I sound super strict in my A/N.


	2. Chapter 2

I realized my A/N sounded super strict and uptight on the last chapter. I'm not strict or uptight. The reason for my unusual uptight-ness was because it was midnight and I was being forced off the computer. I'm sorry. Thanks to the 11 people who read the first chapter. I would like some opinions, though. If you could spare me a few words, I'd really appreciate it. Love and Muffins, Amii~

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><p>Prince Roy and Riza stayed at the festival grounds to oversee the preparations while Ed an Al returned to the palace to get ready. Alphonse kept checking his hair every few minutes to make sure every bit was still in place. Edward admired his reflection and tried imagining himself with long legs.<p>

_Roy wouldn't dare make fun of me if I had long legs._ Ed thought cheerfully. _And I could walk about on the surface and make human friends. Maybe I could fall in love!_ Edward began spinning around.

Al giggled when he noticed Edward looking happy and spinning across the room. "What put you in such a good mood, Brother?" he questioned happily.

Edward stopped spinning and looked at Alphonse. He had honestly forgotten that his younger brother was in the room with him. Ed blushed. _How embarrassing!_

Al noticed Ed's blush and giggled again. "You're so silly, Brother!" Al cheered. It was nice to see Ed being happy for a change. Seeing Ed with a real smile on his face was a rare occurrence.

Ed swam over to his younger brother and poked his cheek. "You better not tell anyone about this, Al." he remarked and poked Al's cheek a few more times. Edward's good mood made Al all bubbly.

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><p>Soon the music from the festival could be heard. That was the brothers' cue that it had started. The jousting tournament always went first. After was the grand feast, followed by more festivities. It was pretty similar to a carnival, of sorts.<p>

The boys left the palace and made their way down to the courtyard where the festival was set up. As they approached the mass of tents and mer-folk, the music grew louder. The boys made their way to the center court. They were only a few minutes late. Al highly doubted their father would get too worked up over it.

When the brothers arrived at the court where the jousting was, they sought out their father and went to join him. Edward grumbled when he saw that King Hohenheim and Prince Roy were talking happily to each other. Al noticed Edward's discomfort towards the situation. Was Ed jealous of Roy's relationship with their father?

Edward took his seat quietly and pretended to be interested in the jousting. He silently pleaded for the sun to set soon so he could go to the surface. If he could, Ed would sneak away right now. He knew he had to stick around long enough so that if anyone went looking for him, people would say that they had seen him not too long ago. Then his father would just assume he was around somewhere.

The festival grounds were bigger than the last few years' grounds. This just made it easier for Ed to evade his father and Roy.

After the feast was over, the sun began to set. Edward liked the way the colors of the sky reflected in the water. He decided that now would be the best time to make his escape. Al had gone to talk to some of his friends, Roy and his father were still talking, and Riza was standing off to the side. He swam off to the merchant area of the festival grounds.

Ed bought some snacks from the merchants and lingered in the area for a while. He left and headed towards his favorite trench when he felt he had socialize enough. The sun had set further by the time Ed reached the trench. He could tell because the vibrant colors of the sky above the water's surface were now much darker. Edward glanced behind him for a good minute before swimming upwards. He didn't want to risk being caught.

It was quite a long swim, but Edward was just below the water's surface now. He cautiously popped his head out of the water and looked around. In the distance, Edward could see a large ship.

Edward beamed upon seeing the ship. He started swimming towards it, but was careful to be quiet and not get caught while doing so.

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><p>Envy was bored out of his mind. He tried his best to stay out of everyone's way. His mother had insisted on traveling by ship to visit an old friend. Envy didn't see why she couldn't have gone alone. He was feeling particularly seasick at the moment. He hated boats and he hated the ocean and he hated his family. He wanted to just escape it all. Being nobility was harder than it looked! He leaned over the safety rails of the ship and stared off into the distance.<p>

_Just an hour more and we'll be there. _Envy reminded himself. "Hey, little brother. Why don't you make yourself useful and _do_ something?" Greed said from behind Envy.

Envy ground his teeth and scoffed. "Why don't _you_ stop being an asshole, Greed." he replied, mocking his older brother's tone.

Greed chuckled sarcastically. "At least I'm not ugly~." Greed stated, just to annoy his younger brother even more.

Envy growled and turned to face his older brother. "You wanna fight, asshole? Fine! Let's go!" He tried to punch Greed.

Greed grabbed his younger brother's hand and was about to flip him, but their mother interrupted. "You will NOT fight on my ship! If you damage _anything _you will regret being born!" She scolded. How typical of her to care about the boat's wellbeing rather than her sons.


	3. Chapter 3

Amii writes this on her iPhone, this way she can add more to it whenever she gets free time/ideas.

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><p>Edward observed the confrontation between the two boys. He felt bad for them. Their mother was worse than his father. Maybe humans weren't so different from mermaids.<p>

The younger brother seemed to be close to Edward's age. Edward thought his spiky green hair was similar to seaweed. _Why would he wear his hear like that_? Edward pondered.

Envy leaned back over the safety rail of the ship and Greed went back to helping the crew sail the ship. Envy let out a dramatic sigh. "I'm never going to be happy." he muttered, thinking no one would hear him.

Edward frowned. "I know exactly how you feel..." He replied, not meaning to say it out loud. His eyes widened and he clamped a hand over his mouth.

Envy turned he gaze down to the water where he thought he heard someone reply. Upon not seeing anything there, he nervously chuckled and mumbled "I'm going crazy," under his breath.

Edward was grateful that the darkness concealed him. Had the other boy seen him, he could've been in a lot of trouble.

Edward continued to admire the human boy. He was definitely attractive, even with seaweed hair. His violet eyes were impossible to ignore. They contrasted his pale skin. He was much paler than his brother and mother. More than anything, though, Edward admired his legs. He wanted legs more than anything else!

The water suddenly got violent. The boat started rocking wildly with the waves. There must've been a storm nearby. Edward was used to rough tides and thought nothing of it.

Envy, on the other hand, was clinging to the safety rail for dear life. With a swift jerk, Envy was tossed into the violent waters.

In an attempt to call for help, Envy swallowed a few mouthfuls of salt water. It stung his lungs. He began to panic. When a particularly big wave dragged him under, Envy gasped, swallowing even more salt water and went into shock. He couldn't move and had no idea where the surface was. In his state of shock, he was dragged down by the rip current.

At first, Ed didn't realize what had happened. When he suddenly heard people calling for the boy he had just moments ago been admiring, he panicked. When he saw Envy go under, he was pulled out of his shock and dove into the waves in an attempt to save the boy's life. He didn't care if he got caught. He knew what it was like to lose a family member and didn't want the boy's family to have to go through what he did when his mother had been killed.

Edward swam after Envy's unconscious body. The human would surely drown if Ed didn't get him to the surface soon. He grabbed Envy around the waist and pulled him towards the surface.

When Ed reached the surface with Envy, he could no longer see the boat. Ed made the decision to bring Envy to the nearest land, which the boat had been sailing towards before the storm hit.

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><p>When Envy woke up, he was laying on the beach. The sun was just above the horizon. He laid there for a while before the events from last night replayed in his head. He sat up quickly and took in his surroundings. <em>How the hell did I wind up on the beach? <em>He heard a splash to his right and turned to look in that direction.

Edward peeked out from behind a rock. He wanted to make sure the green-hair boy was okay. When said boy looked in his direction, Ed his back behind the rock.

"I know you're there!" Envy called to Ed. "I saw you." Envy frowned when he received no response.

Ed's heartbeat rapidly increased. He couldn't expose himself to the other boy. _Father was right._ Ed worried. _Humans are dangerous!_

"You're the one who saved me, aren't you?" Envy asked quietly.

"Yes... I am." Edward replied in a soft whisper.

Envy stood up and tried to walk towards the rocks where the other boy was hiding. Unfortunately, his legs where still weak and the sand shifted under his feet. Envy fell to his knees. "Listen... I'm weak. I'm not going to hurt you. Could you _please_ come out from behind the rock?" Envy practically begged. He didn't realize how desperate he sounded until after the words had left his mouth.

"I can't..." Ed said just barely loud enough for Envy to hear. "I'm glad you're okay, though."

Envy was about to reply when he heard a loud splash. He knew the other boy was gone. _Where could he have possibly gone?_ Envy was curious. He figured that the other had to live somewhere near here.

Edward swam out to sea. If he hurried, he'd be back to the palace by midday. His father was going to be furious. Edward tried to think of an excuse for his disappearance, but to no avail. The best he could come up with was that he was exploring underwater caves and had gotten lost. Edward also sincerely hoped that Roy would be gone by the time he returned.

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><p>Greed had been torn apart over the loss of his younger brother. Even if they fought constantly, Envy was still <em>his<em> little brother! It didn't help that their mother seemed like she could care less about the situation of Envy's death. Greed started blaming himself. He went for a walk along the beach to try and calm himself down.

When he spotted Envy sitting in the sand staring off into the horizon, he thought he was hallucinating. "E-envy?" He questioned in disbelief. Envy turned to face his older brother. "Envy!" Greed shouted and practically glomped him.

"Greed, calm the f*ck down!" Envy shouted, startled by the elder's actions. He was being clung to and didn't appreciate the invasion of personal space.

"Calm down?" Greed pulled back and stared in shock at Envy's reaction. "You want me to calm down? I thought you were dead, Envy! I'm not going to calm down!" tears began to stream uncharacteristically down Greed's face.

Envy murmured an apology and returned his brother's affection, albeit reluctantly. It was kind of nice to think that Greed actually cared about him, but Envy's mind was on the boy that had saved him and then disappeared.

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><p>For some strange reason, I found this chapter harder to write than the previous two.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Amii is sorry for not posting yesterday. She had a LOT of homework. I'm most likely not going to post anything for this until Monday because it's my birthday weekend and I'm doing stuff tomorrow and Sunday. If I get time, I might; but no promises.

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><p>Edward kept swimming until he came to his favorite trench. He stopped there for a short while to prepare himself for the scolding he was sure to receive. This was the longest he had ever been away, and he wasn't even running away.<p>

Al was frantic. Last night, after he went to talk to some of his friends, his brother had run away again. He had been so nervous when he hadn't found him near the trench. Al had _always_ found Ed near the trench.

Al hadn't slept at all. He just stared at the ceiling and counted bubbles all the while hoping to hear word about his brother.

_Where would he have gone?_ Al thought franticly. _Where else would he go?_

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><p>Dante looked up from the book she was reading to see her two sons enter the mansion they were currently staying in. "Oh... He's alive?" she asked, not even pretending to care. She returned her gaze to her book.<p>

Greed looked like he was going to protest but Envy tugged on his shirt, a symbol to just let it go. Greed scoffed and pulled Envy through the mansion. "I want you to tell me what happened, Envy." Greed said while forcing Envy to sit on his bed.

Envy made a confused face. "I don't really remember, Greed. There were huge waves... I couldn't breathe... Someone saved me, though." Envy stared out the window with a thoughtful look on his face. "He brought me to the beach. I talked to him for a few minutes before you showed up. He was really shy for someone who was willing to save someone else's life."

Greed cocked his eyebrow. "And you're okay?"

Envy nodded before flopping back onto the soft bed. "I'm just tired."

Greed smiled and turned to leave. Envy was safe.

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><p>When Edward appeared back at the palace as if nothing had happened, King Hohenheim was furious. Edward had been totally silent as he was interrogated. Even after he had demanded that his son tell him where he had been all night, Edward was silent.<p>

But unlike his usual demeanor around his father, Edward had seemed confident. He looked King Hohenheim in the eyes rather than bowing his head.

Al had looked like he was on the brink of having a breakdown. Edward was even more rebellious than usual. _Why can't Brother just tell us where he was? _Al was screaming in his head. When King Hohenheim dismissed the boys, Al followed Edward to his room. "Brother. You will tell _me_ right now where you've been!" Al demanded with the best glare he could manage.

Edward just shrugged his younger brother off. "Doesn't matter..." he mumbled, not even looking at Al.

When Roy burst into the room, Al noticed the look on his face. Roy had been just as worried about his brother as he was.

Roy stared at Edward for a brief moment before swimming over to him and back-handing him across the face.

Al wanted to protest, but his brother honestly deserved it. Were Al not a pacifist, he probably would've done the same.

"Edward, you _idiot_!" Roy said sternly. "Do you have any idea how many people were worried about you! How much you worried Al? How much you worried _me_!"

"Heh... It's always about you, isn't it Roy?" Edward mocked. Edward hated that his fiancé was a totally conceited pretty boy.

Roy gritted his teeth. He was bothered by Edward's lack of self-preservation. It was like he really didn't care what happened to him.

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><p>Envy woke up from his nap in a good mood. He had remembered more of what had happened after he nearly drowned. He remembered seeing a boy around his age with golden blonde hair and eyes swim after him and pull him up to the surface. He had become unconscious in the boy's arms but remembered falling in and out of consciousness as the boy pulled him to the shore.<p>

He was impressed that the boy was able to swim and carry him all the way to the beach. It was a good thousand feet away from where he had gone overboard. Either way, he was grateful. He needed to find a way to show the boy his gratitude.

Edward had made Al and Roy leave him alone after his argument with Roy. Edward just wanted to be human for a day. Was that too much to ask? Suddenly an idea sparked in Edward's brain. He was going to go consult the sea-alchemist.

Edward snuck out again. He was in trouble already, so he figured he might as well. He swam towards the underwater crystal caverns. That was where the sea-alchemist, Izumi, lived. There were rumors she knew of a powerful red stone that could grant wishes. _Or something like that... _Ed couldn't remember.

Edward was in front of the crystal caverns in thirty minutes. He felt a mixture of nervousness, anxiety and excitement. What if the rumors were fake? What if she wouldn't help him? What if she _couldn't_ help him?

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><p>Edward swam inside cautiously. "Hello?" He called into the caverns.<p>

"What brings you here, Prince Edward?" she replied from behind him.

Edward flailed and turned to face her. _How the hell did she get behind me! _"Uh... Um... There were... Um... Rumors that you... Well you see... Uh..." he trailed off, her gaze making him nervous.

"Spit it out! I don't have time for this!" she shouted.

Edward flinched. "I want to be a human!" he replied but then regret it. Izumi narrowed her eyes at him. "J-just for a day!" he added.

"And you think I can help you with that?" She questioned and folded had arms over her chest.

Edward swallowed nervously. "Th-then you can't help me?"

"What do I get in return, little prince?" Izumi looked at him expectantly. "Equivalent Exchange is required."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE!" Edward screeched.

Izumi glared at Edward. She didn't appreciate his outburst. Edward stiffened up in response to her glare. _She's a scary lady..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note before the actual story… Seriously… Just Read it… If you can't do that, then just read anything that's bold…**

I _have_ been working on this. **This would've been up last night but I had no internet**. Then today, I'm in an immense amount of pain. I'm going to say this now to prevent confusion: **chapters will no longer be an everyday thing**. Physical Education has started for me and I'm out of shape. Plus my Driver's Education period was usually spent thinking of idea for this story but that ended and has been replaced Physical Education. Plus I take art AFTER school since it doesn't fit into my schedule. I'm pretty busy but I use whatever free time I have to write this. I'm sorry but **the most you'll be getting per week is 2 chapters**. **But I am really dedicated to this story and want to finish it.**

Now to prevent confusion ON THE STORY:

Edward is 17, Envy is 17, Greed is 19, Al is 15. IZUMI IS NOT EVIL. From this chapter on you should start seeing more Fullmetal Alchemist elements coming into play in the plot. Yes, this includes the Philosopher's Stone. Envy and Greed are normal humans, not homunculi.

**This is where the chapter begins…**

Edward thought for a while. _Equivalent exchange? I need to think of something equivalent to becoming human?_ "I-I really don't have anything equivalent to becoming human. I-it's my dream..." Edward admitted to Izumi in a childish manner.

Izumi looked at Edward. She had always had a soft-spot for children. And even though Edward was a prince, he was still so young. With a sigh, Izumi spoke to Edward. "I'm sorry, but I do not have the stone."

Edward stared at her in surprise. "W-what do you mean?" he questioned.

"The stone was never in my possession. It belonged to my mentor. She was the first and only mermaid to turn herself human. Afterwards, she hid the stone because she didn't want any other mermaid to follow her example. She lives on the surface now." Izumi told Edward with sincerity. "You'll have to find the red stone if you really want to be human."

**~I'm a magical line that represents the change in point-of-view~**

Greed had paced the hall while waiting for Envy to wake up. He hadn't eaten at all in the past 24 hours so he made his way to the kitchen. Knowing Envy was alive and safe made his realize just how hungry he was.

Envy and he had constantly been at each other's throats, but Envy was still his little brother. Greed honestly didn't like the idea that he and Envy would go back to bickering as they had before he thought Envy was dead. _That's just the kind of relationship we have..._ he convinced himself.

When Envy walked out of his room, he let out a big yawn. Greed was most likely in the kitchen. He liked to raid the refrigerator for alcohol and treats. He recalled the time that Greed had eaten an entire chocolate cake and blamed it on him. Greed had to be the worst older brother in history. But if the way Greed reacted to finding him on the beach meant anything, then Greed did, in fact, love him.

Envy's thoughts persistently returned to the beautiful blonde boy who had saved him. Envy paused in his steps. _Beautiful...? Did I just admit to myself I thought he was beautiful?_ Envy let out a sigh. He didn't understand why he wanted to see the blonde other than to thank him.

When Envy arrived in the kitchen, he found Greed stuffing his face. "You are gunna get _so _fat!" Envy remarked. When Greed glared at him with half a sandwich hanging out of his mouth, Envy burst out laughing. The laughter hurt a little since his lungs had taken in so much salt water. He was grateful they didn't collapse.

"Wuhevah..." Greed replied while chewing. "Ah leas 'm nah ah scrahneh li'l thin lah you..."

"What?" Envy questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

Greed swallowed what was in his mouth before repeating. "At least I'm not a scrawny little thing like you." he stuck his tongue out at his younger brother.

Envy folded his arms over his chest and let out a 'hmpf' and turned his head to the side. "Well I'm cute! So bleeeeeh!" he stuck his tongue out in the same childish manner as Greed.

"Well I'm the mature and handsome one, so you gotta have some kind of positive trait..." Greed replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"Greed you are the biggest ass in the world!" Envy retorted.

Greed chuckled before changing the subject. "So did your beauty sleep help you remember anything?"

"Yea, I remember his face."Envy replied thoughtfully.

"Do you have a crush on your savior, brother-dearest~?" Greed teased.

Envy tensed, blushed, and began to stutter incoherently. "I do not!" he finally managed to say, the blush still visible on his face.

**~I'm a magical line that represents the change in point-of-view~**

Al swam through the halls of the palace with a tray of food in his hands. He stopped in front of Edward's room and knocked. "Brother! I brought you food! You must be hungry... When _aren't_ you hungry?" Upon not hearing a reply, he figured that Ed was still in a bad mood. "Come on, Brother! It's just _me_! Please talk to me!" he called through the door.

Edward had sulked the entire way home from the sea-alchemist. How in the world was he supposed to find one red stone at the bottom of the ocean? It was impossible! _Maybe Al will help me?_ he tried reasoning with himself.

_That's it! _he started grinning widely. _Finding the stone _is _the equivalent exchange to becoming human! It wouldn't be equivalent if I didn't do something in order to become human!_

Ed swam through his window just in time to hear Alphonse begging for him to open the door and talk to him. "Just leave me alone, Al!" Ed called to his younger brother.

"Edward Elric you open this door right _now_!" Al yelled.

Ed was surprised at how angry his younger brother sounded. Al was calm and quiet. He was a pacifist. And Al most certainly never called him by his full name. "Geez Al... Calm down! I'll open the door, alright?" Edward swam over to his door and unlocked it. When he opened it, a very unhappy-looking Alphonse swam inside.

"Brother you had me worried that you snuck out again!" Al scolded. "Why didn't you answer me the first time?"

"I snuck out again..." Ed replied honestly. "But I need your help, Al."

"Brother!" Al began scolding his older brother. "Do you have _any_ idea what would've happened if anyone besides me had come along. You could've gotten in- what?" Al was shocked that Edward wanted his help. Edward never asked for help and always wanted to do everything on his own.

"Yea, Al... This is something I can't do on my own. I need your help." Ed admitted. Doing so was a very big blow to his pride.

"Sure, Brother! What can I help you with?" Al replied enthusiastically.

_Is he bipolar? _Ed inwardly questioned. "You can't over-react, Al, and you _cannot_ tell anyone!" Ed looked into his younger brother's eyes. This was serious.

Al nodded and Edward continued. "I want to be human. Just for a day! And to do so... I need to find this magical red stone. The sea-alchemist said her mentor had hidden it after she turned herself human."

Al's mouth hung open. "D-do you realize what you're d-doing, Brother? F-father will b-banish you!" Al stuttered.

Ed let his forehead rest on Al's. He had his eyes shut and his hands on Al's shoulders. "Yes. I know the consequences, Al." he murmured. "But it's worth it. This is my dream, Al."

**Reading the A/N is important… I recommend you go back and read the A/N at the top if you haven't done so already… Or at least the bold. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Your author has been lacking in free time, so this is later then she had expected. Love and apologies, Readers. On a positive note, this is a little longer than most of the other chapters… Except the first one, I believe. Oh and since Roy has been neglected, I gave him some time in this chapter.**

**~I represent a line~**

"So where do we start looking for the stone, Brother?" Al inquired innocently.

Edward paled. "Uh..."

"You have no idea, do you?" Al questioned.

"None at all." Ed casually stated.

Al sighed. _When does brother ever plan things out?_ he asked himself.

**~I represent a line~**

Dante slammed her book closed and walked into the kitchen of her temporary home. Her sons' bickering had interrupted her reading. "You two better not have broken anything." She sternly said as she spotted Envy trying to yank Greed's hair out.

"He started it!" the boys yelled in unison.

"Envy has a cruuuush~!" Greed continued to taunt.

"No! No! I do not!" Envy retorted. "Goddamnit, Greed would you shaddup!"

Greed pulled the younger's cheeks while Envy had a firm grip on his hair.

"Silence you mindless brats! I have no idea why I keep you two around. You're both useless and cause nothing but trouble for me!" she snapped.

The boys froze. They knew when their mother got angry she was pretty scary. Envy let go of Greed's hair and when Greed let his face go, he walked out of the kitchen. Greed followed Envy but not before shooting a glare in Dante's direction.

**~I represent a line~**

Al dragged his older brother to the library. If they wanted to find this red stone, they would have to research it. "Where should we start, brother?" Al questioned.

Ed scratched the back of his head. "Maybe we should research stones or magic... Maybe magical stones?"

Al resisted the urge to face-palm. "Let's start with magic and alchemy, Brother."

**~I represent a line~**

"She hates us, doesn't she?" Envy asked Greed.

"Unfortunately..." Greed mumbled. He was past denying it.

Envy frowned. He remembered when Greed and he had been little and he would ask Greed if their mother hated them, he'd deny it and make up reasons why she didn't. _Why would someone who hated kids even have kids?_ he wondered. _Are we just for appearances?_

The boys made their way back to Envy's room. "Wanna go see if we can find your little crush- I mean savior, Envy?" Greed teased.

Envy punched Greed in the arm and nodded. "He most likely lives near the beach." Envy stated. "To be that good a swimmer, you basically have to live _in_ the water." he added, feeling smart and not realizing the irony of his words.

"Okay." Greed replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "But, seriously, En... You should change. You're still in your clothes from yesterday..."

Envy gasped and blushed. He ran into his room and decided to take a quick shower.

When Greed heard the shower turn on, he knew Envy was going to be a while. Even if Envy took a ten minute shower, he always spent a good thirty minutes on his hair. "His name should be Vanity..." Greed stated to no one.

**~I represent a line~**

"Al! I think I found something!" Ed practically shouted.

"_Brother!_" Al whisper-yelled, "We're in a library! Be quiet!"

Ed just grinned and shoved the book in his younger brother's face.

"Brother, I can't _read_ the book when it's this close to my face!" Al said as he pushed the book to a readable distance. "The Philosopher's Stone...?" he cocked his head to the side and continued reading.

"Mhm~. This is the stone we have to find~!" Ed practically sang. He was so excited.

The brothers spent the next two hours reading about the Philosopher's Stone. Ed and Al tried thinking of places where the old sea-alchemist could've hidden the stone.

"She'd probably hide it somewhere close enough to the surface." Al remarked. "This way, if she needed it again, she could get it without being a mermaid.

Ed patted Al on the head. "You're so smart, little brother!" he commented cheerfully.

**~I represent a line~**

When Envy had finished showering and doing his hair, he got dressed and skipped to the den. Greed, who had previously been flipping through some magazines, looked up to see Envy with a big grin plastered on his face. "You ready to go?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Yup." Envy replied.

Greed got up from where he was seated and slung an arm around Envy's shoulders. Envy chuckled nervously as his older brother lead him out the door.

Greed and Envy walked along the beach for a while, hoping to see the blonde who rescued Envy outside near the shore. They made sure to check the area where Greed had found Envy earlier that day.

The more they walked, the more disappointed Envy became. He wanted to see his blonde savior.

Greed couldn't help but notice Envy's demeanor. He definitely had a crush on the boy who had saved him, even if he kept denying it. Envy rarely had crushes, and when he did, they weren't nearly as intense as his current one. Greed felt that Envy was going through, dare he say, "puppy love."

As the sun set beyond the horizon, Greed suggested they go home and wake up early tomorrow to look again. Envy reluctantly agreed and the two head back towards their temporary home.

**~I represent a line~**

When Al noticed how late it had become, he panicked. "Brother! Father doesn't know we left! You're going to get I trouble if we don't get home now!" he shouted while practically hyperventilating.

Ed tried to calm his younger brother down. "Nothing new there, Al." he reassured. "I'll be fine."

The two brothers began swimming back towards the palace.

**~I represent a line~**

Roy had discovered Edward an Alphonse missing a little over an hour ago and was worried sick. He had swum to Ed's room to apologize for hitting him.

When he entered Ed's room and saw it empty, he nearly had a heart-attack. He went looking for Al only to realize that both boys were gone. Roy decided it'd be best if he didn't tell the king. He really didn't want to get Edward in more trouble. _If Al isn't here, he's definitely with Ed!_ Roy reasoned.

Roy spun around upon hearing Edward's door opening. He sighed in relief when he saw it was Alphonse and Edward who entered. "I was so worried about the two of you! I've been waiting for you for two hours!" Roy scolded.

Al gasped and Ed's emotions couldn't be told by his expression. "Does _he_ know we left?" Ed asked lowly. Al held his breath.

"No. I didn't want to risk getting you in trouble. You've been through enough today." Roy replied swimming closer to Edward. He put his hand on the young prince's face where he had previously hit him. "I'm sorry... A-about earlier. I shouldn't have hit you. It wasn't my place. I'm sorry, Edward."

Ed looked into Roy's eyes and let a small smile show on his lips. "No... You were right. I'm irresponsible. But believe me... I didn't mean to worry anyone." Edward replied.

Alphonse blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Roy and Edward were actually acting civil towards each other.

Roy said goodnight to Edward and Alphonse and swam back to his guest room. He was happy to see that Ed was maturing.


End file.
